Best Laid Plans
by Delena Aneled Hupp
Summary: A lesson in independence: A stormy night before departure is the start of an adventure far from the one Kairi initially had in mind.


_**Best Laid Plans**_

_**By**_ Delena/Aneled Hupp

_**Rating**_ K+

_**Genre**_ General

_**Legalities**_ All recognisable characters present in this derivative work are property of Square Enix and all that jazz.

_**Mission Summary**_ A lesson in independence: A stormy night before departure is the start of an adventure far from the one Kairi initially had in mind.

_**Mission Statistic Warnings **_None, really. I suppose I could warn that the story is Kairi-centric, so haters beware… Seriously, if all you have to say about this post is how much you hate Kairi, Kairi sucks, Kairi should die, blahblahblah, I'll just remove your review.

_**Mission Status Report **_One-shot, part of a series.

_**Pre-Mission Briefing **_This ficlet serves a double purpose; while it is actually the introduction to the AU, _Divergence, _just before Selphie makes her appearance, it could also serve as Kairi's perspective from the opening of the actual game before everything went to hell and back.

_**End briefing-Begin Document**_

The night before they are set leave the Island, Kairi does not dream. Kairi does not sleep, for that matter. Doubts, fears, worries pass through her thoughts as she tries to rest in anticipation of the long journey ahead of her+_am i being irresponsible? won't my father miss me? would anyone else miss me…?+_, but these anxieties are fleeting at best.

A storm builds outside her window and Kairi wonders if Sora and Riku can sleep either. She entertains the idea, briefly, of gathering her travelling possessions this very moment and fetching the boys just so her nerves can finally relax. It's a thrill before her flight out of her nest, a twisting in her stomach at the thought of finally knowing where her life had begun. Jittery, Kairi half-folds, half-stuffs her clothes into her purple backpack along with a few water bottles, books, toiletries, bracelets, her shell charm +_for luck+_, and a paopu +_ so the three of us can't lose each other on this adventure+._ She glances one last time around this room that has been home to her for the past six years, and with more than a few reservations, creeps silently out of the house.

She stops outside Sora's house and waits, for what? She doesn't know. For morning, perhaps, though the dawn is still hours from the horizon. The storm in the distance only swells. Kairi waits for her thoughts to catch up, then moves along silently on the abnormally unlit street. She repeats a similar process outside of Riku's house, but lingers less before find her feet leading her to her own canoe, her ferry to the play island.

With great difficulty against the waves and ever-strengthening wind, Kairi fights her way to the small island and anchors at the large dock. She notices a light on in the tree fort, hopes briefly that Tidus, or Wakka, or whoever may be occupying the structure won't decide to look outside and notice her… She's not sure why, but she's overflowing with doubts and crazy ideas. The urge to take that raft and leave the boys behind is suddenly overwhelming; she could be completely free, free to go wherever _she_ wanted to go, not where Riku decides, free to find her birthplace on her own time, not on some tightly-packed Riku-schedule or at a dawdling Sora stop-and-look-at-everything pace, but her own pace… just _free. _She knows the idea is selfish and impractical, but never has something been so appealing to her as the idea of taking control of her own life, her own destiny and with excited chills she makes her way to the raft to sort out her thoughts.

The hair on the back of Kairi's neck and on her arm stands on end in response to static as a brilliant series of flashes illuminate the small island, a roll of thunder responds violently, and Kairi finds herself actually struggling to stand against the suddenly-intense winds. Strangely, as if in reaction to the lightshow overhead, the ground darkens noticeably and Kairi panics.

In a matter of seconds, everything goes terribly wrong.

The ground moves, swirls, struggles like a newborn, and from the mass of textureless black that was once coarse pristine sand, stark yellow eyes blink out at Kairi and lunge for her.

_**Mission complete**_

_**Post-mission analysis**_ Strike your fancy? Stay tuned for more.

**End Transmission.**


End file.
